Hello everyone, I just bought a 55 cub tractor, I will be using it for a small scale market garden. It came with front and rear cultivators, land plow, homemade spring tooth harrow and a set of disc bed hillers. The tractor is in original condition and it runs well. The problem that I am concerned with is that when shifting into a gear it makes a grinding sound for a second. Once it is in gear it runs fine and no problems. THe only way I have found to prevent making the grinding sound is if it is in reverse press the clutch and let it roll a little then it will slide into gear without a sound. It is winter now and would like to make the necessary repairs before spring. I bought a service manual, operators manual, and a parts manual for it. SO I am hoping to do the work myself and hopefully learn about this tractor that I plan to have for a long time. Any suggestions on how to proceed from here. Thanks

Try waiting an extra 10 or 15 seconds after pushing the clutch completely in before you go into gear. Takes a while for things to stop spinning in the tranny and I sometimes get in a hurry to change gears! Dusty B

Engage the PTO and watch the shaft (assuming it is not driving any attachments). When it stops, the transmission gears have stopped. If it takes a long time for the PTO shaft to stop spinning (or does not stop at all) after engaging the clutch, I refer you to Boss's post above.

Secondly, a combination of what LeeC and Dusty said above is this: When watching the PTO turning, time it to see how long it takes for the PTO shaft to stop once the clutch pedal is depressed. That amount of time would be the minimum you'll need to wait 'til the shaft stops spinning in order to shift the tranny w/o any grinding.

Not sure what the temps are up in Conn but check your gear box for water and the right amount of gear oil. When I got mine it had about a quart of water in the gear box and the gears would grind before going in. once water was drained and gear oil was added the grinding stopped.

I also took the shifter off and flushed it out with deisel fuel before adding the gear oil.

Pete from Virginia Beach

man comes into the world cold naked wet and starving, and after that things get worse. "Gun Smoke"

100% fluid change and lubrication per the operator's manual. Check antifreeze. After spring warm up flush the engine block and lower radiator housing.

Clutch adjustment is located to the left of the clutch pedal below the operator's platform. There may not be any adjustment left, throwout bearing worn out. In this case you will need to split the tractor and replace the throwout bearing.

Transmission is not synchronized. You need to let the transmission stop before trying to shift gears. If the transmission does not easily shift, you need to gently let out on the clutch to line up the gears in the transmission. Same action with the PTO.

Wow Thanks so much for all the responses, I really appreciate it. I am glad I joined this site. I can tell there are a lot of avid cub fans that know their stuff. I am hoping I don't have to split the tractor in half. Hopefully if will be one of the other things mentioned. Since I am new to this cub what are some basic tune-up things I should do to it or check for? I am planning on doing the oil and oil filter, fuel filter, possibly spark plugs, check the air filter. Check all fluid levels. Possibly drain and replace. What am I missing?

big moon wrote:What are some basic tune-up things I should do to it or check for?

For your first tune up conduct compression tests, adjust the valve tappet clearance. Check and perhaps adjust ignition timing - may not need to replace any parts unless there is a problem.

Definitely drain the transmission/differential (it's one unit) and replace fluid. Reason, tran/diff has a tendency to accumulate water from condensation.

Some commonly forgotten services. Air filter needs to be cleaned and oil replaced. To lubricate the distributor and distributor drive, you may still have plugs that need to be removed and grease zerks installed. Lubricate the wick under the distributor rotor. Lubricate the fan.

Operator's manual has a list of lubrication points and recommended lubricants.

Yes, owners manual and service manual will be your best bet at this point; as it sounds you're not that familiar with engines....especially Farmall Cubs. If you didn't understand properly, the air filter doesn't have an actual element to replace/clean. It has a cup of oil that traps dirt and other objects. You'll also want to check/drain and replace the Hy-Tran (hydraulic oil) in the TC Resivoir (hydraulic lift resivoir).

Simply answer. You said you already bought the Owner's Manual for it. Before you do a darn thing -- sit down, grab a coffee or two and READ THE MANUAL That would be the single most important thing you can do. Then once you have read it, take it outside with you and familiarize yourself oh the Cub with everything you have just read.

Then, you will be armed with enough basic knowledge to go over your Cub from stem to stern, and do the required maintenance on it before you tear into. One of the worst things one can do is to start tearing into your Cub with no clue. Reading is the single most important tool you have. Use it.

Thanks again for the advice everyon, I do have a lot to learn. I will read and reread the manual and start going through everything. I already found I had some more clutch adjustment left. I haven't tried it out yet. Hope it works.